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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · bound · bulb · stock · wound · lash · bark · rest

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rest — what's left
  3. field — a subject
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bound — certain
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stock — goods
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stock — shares
  17. field — farmland
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bulb — for light
  21. field — for sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com